Real People, Real Problems

By David Johnson

Too often we think of people in the Bible as caricatures, as if they are fictional creations. But these were flesh and blood people, just like you and I. They ate, slept, got tired, experienced joy and sorrow – and had problems!
Of all the millions of people who have lived on the earth, God chose those in the Bible to have their story recorded and remembered. Undoubtedly that was by design, meaning their story has some benefit for mankind.
My goal in writing this book is to help us learn the messages that we can apply to our own situations. I thank my God for giving me the gift of writing and the opportunity to write this book. My prayer is that you will find the reading as helpful to you as the writing of it was for me.
-DJ

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Johnson
• Release date: Feb 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301277339

David Johnson

David Johnson is married to the lovely Kim Johnson. They have been married for 42 years. The couple attributes the longevity of their marriage to THE LORD JESUS CHRIST! David and Kim have five children and eight granddaughters. He is the Pastor of New Living Truth Ministries in Fraser, Michigan.Pastor Johnson's email is [e-mail].

Book preview

Introduction

Too often we think of people in the Bible as caricatures, as if they are fictional creations. But these were flesh and blood people, just like you and I. They ate, slept, got tired, experienced joy and sorrow – and had problems!

Of all the millions of people who have lived on the earth, God chose those in the Bible to have their story recorded and remembered. Undoubtedly that was by design, meaning their story has some benefit for mankind.

My goal in writing this book is to help us learn the messages that we can apply to our own situations. I thank my God for giving me the gift of writing and the opportunity to write this book. My prayer is that you will find the reading as helpful to you as the writing of it was for me.

-DJ

Real People, Real Problems

By

David Johnson

Published by David Johnson at Smashwords

Copyright 2013

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com  The NIrV and New International Reader’s Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Table of Contents

Chapter One: God Will Provide (Facing the Impossible)

Chapter Two: I Forgive You (Betrayal)

Chapter Three: Whew, that was close! (Sexual Temptation)

Chapter Four: "Who, Me?! (God's Plan for Me)

Chapter Five: A Promise is a Promise (Keeping Your Integrity)

Chapter Six: Forgetting God (Not acknowledging God as the Giver)

Chapter Seven: I Have Acted Like a Fool (Peer Pressure)

Chapter Eight: Self-Destructive, But Saved!

Chapter Nine: I Want It My Way! (Self-Centeredness)

Chapter Ten: All Stressed Out (Stress)

Chapter Eleven: The Power of One (Going Against the Odds)

Chapter Twelve: A Reluctant Preacher (Prejudice)

Chapter Thirteen: It's All About Choices (Difficult Choices)

Chapter One

God Will Provide

A Happy Father

Abraham and Sarah, the love of each other's life, bore the burden of her empty womb for decades. The frustration of it caused both of them to make poor choices through the years, and almost resulted in untimely deaths of the surrogate mother and her baby. Though God had promised them children, they'd become to doubt that eventuality. (Genesis 12 – 18).

So it was with an extra measure of pride and joy that, at the ages of 100 and 90, they found themselves being parents. Isaac was their child of promise. He would be Abraham's heir and the recipient of God's promise that was first given to Abraham.

It had taken the intervention of God's hand to bless them with this child and their hearts were overflowing with gratitude toward him.

A Troubled Father

Abraham wakens suddenly from a fitful dream. A soft breeze creates a ripple across the roof of his tent. Outside, his donkey paws the ground, impatient for its morning feed.

Through the curtains of the door of the tent Abraham sees the dark of night relinquishing its hold, giving way to the soft light of dawn. The sun makes its slow ascent to awaken the world. It's a dawn that Abraham hoped would never come.

He turns on his side toward the soft snoring coming from beside him. Isaac sleeps blissfully. Looking at his son, a lone tear escapes, rolls over his cheek and disappears into his beard. The tear surprises him. He didn't believe he had any left.

Ever since his word had been turned upside down three days ago, Abraham had shed tears of confusion, anguish, and sadness to the point he felt he was cried out. Yet here was another solitary reminder of his grief.

His mind replays for the hundredth time that fateful moment when God had spoken to him and set him on this journey. Take your son, you only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about. (Genesis 22). Although this was not the first time God had given him a command or promise that was difficult to comprehend, but this was certainly the most difficult task God had ever given him.

Looking at the peaceful face of his sleeping son, questions race through his mind. What will happen when the time comes to kill Isaac? Will I be able to actually do it? Will God allow it to happen? How am I going to explain this to Isaac?

A Faithful Father

Nudging Isaac, Abraham says, It's time to move further on our journey.

Isaac sits up and rubs his eyes.

Abraham going outside and informs his two servants that they are to stay at the camp and wait for him to return.

Once Isaac joins him, he takes the bundle of wood that will be used for the sacrifice and straps it to Isaac's back. Abraham sheaths his knife and places hot coals in a metal container so he will be able to start the sacrificial fire. And they begin walking.

Walking toward the mountain destination, Isaac begins thinking about the purpose of this journey. Evidently Abraham has withheld important details from him because Isaac asks, Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?

The question is like a dagger in the heart of his father! But he cannot bring himself to tell all he knows. In a voice thick with emotion, he replies simply, God will provide.

What transpires next is almost beyond human experience to understand and appreciate. Upon reaching the place of sacrifice, Abraham stacks rocks into an altar and arranges the wood on top. Our minds are left to speculate on what the conversation was between this father and son, since the Bible is silent. Perhaps it went like this:

Placing the last stick of wood on the altar, Abraham turns and looks into the puzzled expression on Isaac's face. "My dear son, Isaac. Many times I've told you the story of God's involvement in the lives of me and your mother. Of how long your mother and I longed to give birth to a child, only to be disappointed time after time. And then you were given to us by God, an event that still amazes people today.

"You are truly my only son. The son I